NPF Congratulates Mahlon DeLong, MD

Release date: 1/28/2014

The National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) congratulates Mahlon DeLong, MD, of Emory University for receiving the prestigious 2014 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. DeLong was awarded the prize for “defining the interlocking circuits in the brain that malfunction in Parkinson’s disease, this scientific foundation underlies the circuit-based treatment of Parkinson’s by deep brain stimulation.”

“Mahlon DeLong is truly one of the quiet giants in the field. My own research into basal ganglia brain systems, neuromodulation, and Parkinson's disease was inspired by the amazing work of Delong who trained me when I was a fellow at Emory University,” said Michael S. Okun, NPF’s National Medical Director.

The field of neural circuit modification, pioneered by DeLong, offers opportunities for new interventions, many currently in development which could be deployed clinically in time to provide life-changing benefits to people living with Parkinson’s today.

NPF joins Emory University and the entire Parkinson’s community in applauding DeLong’s forty years of service in the field and for advancing the science that has helped so many people along the way.